Tag Archives: serging

September has arrived, and although it is technically still summer, Labor Day weekend marks the beginning of autumn for me. This is the weekend of the Apple Festival, our biggest event of the year. I have posted about this festival in years past, click on Apple Festival 2014 and Apple Festival 2015 to see the apple vendors, entertainment, and all the apple products we can get during the Labor Day weekend event. I did an Apple themed tablescape last year, and have some new-to-me vintage apple items to use this year.

While cleaning out the fabric closet, I found this apple printed corduroy. Originally I thought I’d use it for a clothing item, but it has languished in the closet now for at least a few years. So, it became a table runner. I cut it to a good size, and serged the edge with a rolled-edge stitch. See my Perfect Serged Napkins to see the whole technique tutorial.

Using a large eye needle and a threader, I pull the tail back through the serged edge and cut it off.

I got two napkins from the piece too.

I put the runner diagonally on top of a square red table cloth. In the center, I placed an apple decorated biscotti jar, and some wooden apples around the center, both thrift store buys.

On each side of the jar, I put half of a cute apple salt and pepper set, also a thrift store score. The set looks like a whole apple when placed side by side, and you can see a cut apple on one side of each one.

The little apple cage holding a votive was a thrift store score last year. I added some artificial leaves to the bottom.

On the other side of the biscotti jar is a red pillar candle with an apple candle ring, part of my latest thrift store.

Fat Quarter Shop has some adorable apple fabrics if you want to set your own apple table, just put Apple in the search box.

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How many times have you made placemats or a table runner, and then thought it would be so lovely to have matching napkins. Truly, fabric napkins on the serger are very fast. You can make a whole set in under an hour. There is a trick to getting perfect serged corners, and I’ll show you how.

Start by cutting your squares for the napkins. The ideal size is 16 inches, but I have made them at 12 inches for luncheon size, or up to 20 inches for a formal dinner size. This fabric goes with the Three Maple Leaves Table Runner and the panel placemats.

Set your serger for a three-thread rolled edge. Be sure to move your cutting blade down. If you have a differential feed, set it on 1-to-1. Serge the first side, stopping about 1 or 2 stitch lengths before you get to the edge. This is a bit tough to see at first, but you’ll soon figure out where to stop. Raise the needle up.

Lift the presser foot, and gently pull the fabric toward the back of the machine ever so slightly (just a millimeter or two) to release it from the flange, then turn it 90 degrees, pivoting around at the corner.. Try to minimize the amount of thread you pull. Place it back under the presser foot lining up the top edge with the needle position. Lower the needle and put the fabric next to it. Lower your presser foot.

Serge the next side, and repeat until all four sides are done.

By limiting the amount of thread at the corner, you end up with perfect corners, no knots, no extra bunching up.

Here’s the back side.

On the last corner, serge off the end, then tie off or bury your threads. I did four napkins in about 30 minutes!

Practice on some scraps first. It will take a few tries to get the pivot point just right, but once you do, it is easy from there!

If you don’t have a serger, you can make the napkins quickly on your sewing machine by using a rolled edge foot to hide the raw edge. A serger makes this project super fast. You can have beautiful matching napkins for all your table top creations! Just get an extra yard of fabric, and you’ll have enough for six large dinner napkins. A beautiful table is only a few stitches away. Happy Serging!

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